Alexion Pharmaceuticals awarded two SBIR grants.

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 1994--Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has been awarded two Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Institutes of Health.

The grants relate to the Company's programs targeting the regulation of the complement system, an important part of the immune system which, when it malfunctions, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.

The first SBIR grant, which will provide up to $75,000 to Alexion, leverages the Company's expertise in regulating the complement system in the area of acute cardiovascular care. As Phase I of this grant, Alexion will research the role that the complement cascade plays in the viability of platelets. Platelets are anuclear cells, smaller than a red blood cell, found in the blood, that play a role in coagulation. As an initial step, Alexion will investigate the feasibility of using its proprietary complement inhibitors to halt platelet dysfunction, caused by the activation of the complement cascade, during platelet storage and circulation of blood through extracorporeal circuits. Extracorporeal circulation of patient blood is an integral component of hemodialysis and cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. During these procedures, platelet and neutrophil activation, associated with complement attack, contribute to significant patient morbidity.

"This research on the effect of the complement cascade on neutrophils and platelets will provide Alexion with an enhanced understanding of the role of complement in inflamation and bleeding," said Dr. Leonard Bell, president and CEO of Alexion. "Our findings will be broadly applicable to our existing complement inhibitor development program in the critical care area."

The second grant, which will also provide up to $75,000 to Alexion, will be used by the Company to research the feasibility of employing its UniGraft technologies to develop new gene therapy vehicles. Alexion is currently employing its UniGraft technologies for the development of both in vivo retroviral-based and ex vivo somatic cell-based gene therapy vehicles.

"Not only do these two grants further validate our work in these two areas, they allow us to expand highly promising technologies while conserving our financial resources," said Dr. Bell. "Additionally, these two programs build upon the strengths of two of our platform technologies, complement inhibition and UniGraft, and will enable us to gain a better understanding as to the enormous applications of the technologies."

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, founded in 1992, is a private, research-based biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New Haven, focused on developing novel immunoregulatory biotherpeutics targeting severe autoimmune and cardiovascular disorders and organ transplantation.

CONTACT: Alexion Pharmaceuticals

             Leonard Bell, M.D.
             David Keiser
             203/776-1790
                     or
             NCI Public Relations
             Cheryl Shipley Coyle
             609/452-0101